Philip the Bold, duke of Burgundy (d. 1404)

Philippe, known as 'the Bold', duke of Burgundy (1342 - 1404), fourth son of Jean II of France and Bonne of Luxemburg. The duke of Burgundy was a prominent figure in the government of France during the reign of his nephew Charles VI, especially after 1392 when the king began to suffer from recurring bouts of insanity that gave the dukes of Berry and Burgundy the opportunity to seize power from Charles VI's trusted administrators, known as the Marmousets. Philippe married Margaret de Male, countess of Flanders, and this marriage eventually not only reunited the duchy of Burgundy with the 'free' counties of Burgundy and Artois, but also brought the wealthy counties of Flanders, Nevers and Rethel under the control of the duke of Burgundy. Thus this marriage alliance, and the consequent marriages of the duke of Burgundy's children, created the basis for the Grand Duchy of the West, a quasi-independent state rather than a mere fief of the French crown.

Picardy

A historical province of France.

Normandy

Duchy to the north-west of the Île-de-France, bordered by the Channel; governed by the dauphin Charles, as Lieutenant of Normandy, until his accession to the French throne in 1364.

Louis I, duke of Anjou (d. 1384)

Louis I of Anjou (1339 - 1384), first count then duke of Anjou, second son of king Jean II of France and Bonne of Luxemburg. He married Marie of Blois, countess of Guise, in 1360. He was appointed duke of Anjou in 1360 and king of Sicily in 1382; died in 1384. He spent several years in the South, but did not enjoy a good reputation in the region.

King Charles VI of France (d. 1422)

King Charles VI of France (1368 - 1422); son of king Charles V of France and Jeanne de Bourbon. He married Isabeau de Bavière in 1385.

France

The kingdom of France, populated up until the Black Death of 1348-9 by 12-16 millions souls and including up to the Treaty of Brétigny (1360) the Ile-de-France together with the apanages of Normandy, Anjou, Bourbon, Champagne, Valois, Auvergne and Languedoc, plus a number of important fiefs such as the counties of Blois, Nevers and Foix, and (from 1349) Montpellier and the Dauphiné; diminished from 1354 by the growing activity and influence in the Cotentin and other parts of Normandy of the king of Navarre, Charles of Evreux, and by English conquests resulting in an enlarged duchy of Guyenne (essentially Gascony; will become the principality of Aquitaine) stretching from the borders of the great and at times pro-English duchy of Brittany to the Pyrenees (save for the neutral county of Béarn) and eastwards to embrace the Poitou, Limousin and Rouergue (on the border with the Languedoc); Ponthieu and Guines are also in English hands. The French re-conquest under Charles V and Du Guesclin progressively drives the English from the realm, leaving them (by 1370-80) the ports of Calais, Cherbourg, Brest, Bordeaux and Bayonne, and a much-reduced Aquitaine. Brittany returns to French allegiance from 1365 onwards (Treaty of Guérande).

Waleran III de Luxemburg, count of Saint-Pol (d. 1415)

Waleran III de Luxemburg (1355 - 1415; killed at Agincourt), count of Saint Pol; son of Guy de Luxemburg, count of Ligny, and Mahaut de Châtillon, countess of Saint Pol. He married firstly Maud Holland, daughter of Thomas Holland, earl of Kent, and half-sister of king Richard II. After her death he married Bonne, daughter of Duke Robert of Bar.

King Charles V of France (d. 1380)

Charles V (1338 - 1380), king of France, the eldest son of king Jean II of France and Bonne of Luxemburg.

Rheims

Rheims on the river Vesle, France, administrative centre of the Marne canton, was unsuccessfully besieged by Edward III for a month at the end of 1359, as described in Book I of the Chronicles.

Wenceslas I, duke of Luxemburg and Brabant (d. 1383)

Wenceslas I of Luxemburg (133? - 1383), duke of Luxemburg and Brabant, as a consort to Joanna, duchess of Brabant. Son of John 'the Blind', king of Bohemia, and Beatrix of Bourbon. He became the duke of Brabant through his wife Jeanne, who inherited the duchy of Brabant after her father's death in 1355. He was one of Froissart's patrons. He contributed to Froissart's Meliador through his lyric poetry, inserted at intervals throughout this long Arthurian romance. He died in 1383.

Louis I, duke of Anjou (d. 1384)

Louis I of Anjou (1339 - 1384), first count then duke of Anjou, second son of king Jean II of France and Bonne of Luxemburg. He married Marie of Blois, countess of Guise, in 1360. He was appointed duke of Anjou in 1360 and king of Sicily in 1382; died in 1384. He spent several years in the South, but did not enjoy a good reputation in the region.

Waleran III de Luxemburg, count of Saint-Pol (d. 1415)

Waleran III de Luxemburg (1355 - 1415; killed at Agincourt), count of Saint Pol; son of Guy de Luxemburg, count of Ligny, and Mahaut de Châtillon, countess of Saint Pol. He married firstly Maud Holland, daughter of Thomas Holland, earl of Kent, and half-sister of king Richard II. After her death he married Bonne, daughter of Duke Robert of Bar.

Ham-sur-Heure

Ham-sur-Heure (Hainault), Belgium.

France

The kingdom of France, populated up until the Black Death of 1348-9 by 12-16 millions souls and including up to the Treaty of Brétigny (1360) the Ile-de-France together with the apanages of Normandy, Anjou, Bourbon, Champagne, Valois, Auvergne and Languedoc, plus a number of important fiefs such as the counties of Blois, Nevers and Foix, and (from 1349) Montpellier and the Dauphiné; diminished from 1354 by the growing activity and influence in the Cotentin and other parts of Normandy of the king of Navarre, Charles of Evreux, and by English conquests resulting in an enlarged duchy of Guyenne (essentially Gascony; will become the principality of Aquitaine) stretching from the borders of the great and at times pro-English duchy of Brittany to the Pyrenees (save for the neutral county of Béarn) and eastwards to embrace the Poitou, Limousin and Rouergue (on the border with the Languedoc); Ponthieu and Guines are also in English hands. The French re-conquest under Charles V and Du Guesclin progressively drives the English from the realm, leaving them (by 1370-80) the ports of Calais, Cherbourg, Brest, Bordeaux and Bayonne, and a much-reduced Aquitaine. Brittany returns to French allegiance from 1365 onwards (Treaty of Guérande).

Maud Holland

Maud Holland (? - 1392), Richard II's half-sister, daughter of Thomas Holland and Joan of Kent.

Castle of Bohain

Castle of Bohain, an important military fortress that was situated in the area of the modern commune of Bohain-en-Vermandois (Aisne), France.

Brittany

The duchy of Brittany, to the northwest of France.

Thomas of Woodstock, earl of Buckingham, duke of Gloucester (d. 1397)

Thomas of Woodstock (1355 - 1397), earl of Buckingham, later the duke of Gloucester; son of king Edward III and Philippa of Hainault. He was uncle to Richard II.